The invention relates to a transport system and a method for transporting livestock, in particular poultry such as chicks.
The transport of day old chicks from a hatchery to a farm plays a critical role in their subsequent performance. Hatcheries operate in a fully controlled indoor environment, while transport entails the risk of exposing the chicks to uncontrolled, outdoor conditions. If the chicks are not protected from unpredictable changes to their climate their performance is directly impaired. High temperatures can cause increased water loss, with the risk of dehydration. When exposed to low temperatures, the chicks are forced to use their own reserves, thereby reducing their growth rate. It is therefore of great importance to provide an optimized transport environment, to ensure that the birds arrive at the farm in the same condition in which they left the hatchery.
Known transport systems are provided with a transport compartment for holding boxes in which the day old chicks are accommodated. The boxes are stored in parallel rows extending in the longitudinal direction of the transport compartment. The known transport systems are provided with ventilation systems which generate an airflow passing in between the rows of boxes in the longitudinal direction of the transport compartment. An example of such a transport system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,481,870 A. A disadvantage of these known transport systems is that the air merely flows past the boxes, rather than passing through the boxes. Additionally, the quality of the air arriving at the boxes that are most distant from the ventilation system is poor, as it is already used and heated up during its propagation through the transport compartment.
Improvements in the known transport systems are mainly focused on increasing the volume of the airflow by using high-power fans. Such high-power fans require a separate generator, require more and complex maintenance and are subject to failure. Other improvements are related to intermediate cooling of the airflow, for example by partitioning the transport compartment with air permeable cooling walls, such as in DE 16 30 994 A1, which discloses a transport compartment for pigeons. These air permeable walls however significantly increases the counter pressure that has to be overcome by the ventilation system.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,612,027 A discloses a double decked stock truck cooling and ventilating system. The truck is provided with a lower deck for small animals, such as sheep. A ventilating and cooling unit is arranged for supplying air at a front panel and discharging air through a rear grill. The lower deck forms a single, undivided compartment for holding small animals. As such, the problem of creating an optimal airflow through rows of boxes does not occur. Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 2,612,027 A does not disclose any means for positioning rows of boxes during transport.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a transport system and a method for transporting livestock, in particular poultry such as chicks, wherein the transport environment can be optimized.